Published: Friday, August 29, 2014 at 12:12 PM.

The incident began around 9:50 a.m. Thursday with Clover Police calling off the chase at the North Carolina state line due to safety concerns. But officers in unmarked cars were able to use a license plate and car description to find the suspect and have Gastonia Police officers arrest Jerry Lee Dickey within 30 minutes of the shoplifting, Clover Police Capt. David Dover said Friday. Police did not know until after Dickey was taken into custody that he had served prison time for a 1992 second-degree murder conviction in Gaston County.

“As an officer, when you see a suspect has been convicted of a murder charge it makes your eyebrows raise,” Dover said. But officers also realize that person has already served their time, he added.

The offense that had officers looking for Dickey Thursday was not that big a deal. Police say he stole some T-shirts, tank tops and cleaning products valued at less than $80 from the Family Dollar on Main Street in Clover.

A store clerk gave a dispatcher a good description of the suspect - who police list at 6 foot 5 and 230 pounds – along with a description of a car that turned out to be a hunter green 2000 Dodge Neon.

An officer spotted the suspected vehicle in a short time and a chase began on U.S. 321 heading north toward the state line, Dover said. But the relative minor offense, aggressiveness of the suspect’s driving and other factors led police to stop the pursuit before crossing into North Carolina, Dover said.

The incident began around 9:50 a.m. Thursday with Clover Police calling off the chase at the North Carolina state line due to safety concerns. But officers in unmarked cars were able to use a license plate and car description to find the suspect and have Gastonia Police officers arrest Jerry Lee Dickey within 30 minutes of the shoplifting, Clover Police Capt. David Dover said Friday. Police did not know until after Dickey was taken into custody that he had served prison time for a 1992 second-degree murder conviction in Gaston County.

“As an officer, when you see a suspect has been convicted of a murder charge it makes your eyebrows raise,” Dover said. But officers also realize that person has already served their time, he added.

The offense that had officers looking for Dickey Thursday was not that big a deal. Police say he stole some T-shirts, tank tops and cleaning products valued at less than $80 from the Family Dollar on Main Street in Clover.

A store clerk gave a dispatcher a good description of the suspect - who police list at 6 foot 5 and 230 pounds – along with a description of a car that turned out to be a hunter green 2000 Dodge Neon.

An officer spotted the suspected vehicle in a short time and a chase began on U.S. 321 heading north toward the state line, Dover said. But the relative minor offense, aggressiveness of the suspect’s driving and other factors led police to stop the pursuit before crossing into North Carolina, Dover said.

“The risk to the public was not worth the pursuit of the suspect at that point,” Dover said.

And police also had a license tag, which would lead them to Dickey, Dover said.

Dover said he and another officer traveled into Gaston County in an unmarked police car within minutes headed toward Dickey’s Clyde Street address. And they soon spotted the suspected vehicle, which they were able to follow without being detected, Dover said. Dickey would stop at a Gilmer Street residence off of Clyde Street located in South Gastonia off U.S. 321. When he got out of the car, officers stopped him and Gastonia Police arrested him.

Dickey, who turns 41 on Monday, also faced a Gaston County charge for failing to appear in court on a failure to return rental property charge. Officers placed a hold on his release to give Clover Police time to charge him. Police in Clover plan to charge Dickey with shoplifting and failure to stop for a blue light.

Because of Dickey’s criminal past, the law in South Carolina allows officers to charge Dickey with a felony shoplifting charge punishable by up to five years in prison, Dover said. Dickey has an extensive North Carolina record. He went to prison on the murder charge when he was 18. He was released from prison on the murder charge in 1997.

But his criminal activity didn’t really stop. He has larceny and robbery convictions in 2010, 2009 and 2007. He went to prison for more than four years in 2001 on an assault charge that caused serious injury. Dickey’s trouble with the law apparently began around age 12, Dover said. “When they get caught up in these downward spirals of life it can be difficult to get out of,” Dover said.

You can reach Kevin Ellis at 704-869-1823 or Twitter.com @TheGazetteKevin.